


Down came the rain and washed the spider out... wait, what?!

by First_page



Series: Whump & Webs [19]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Accidents, Drowning, Extreme Weather, Fluff and Humor, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, MAJOR HURT, Major Comfort, Sick Bucky Barnes, Sickfic, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tornado, Vomiting, Whump, Whumptober 2020, alt prompt: water, concussion, i think i'll collapse right here, potential electrocution, so many things happen lol, whumptober prompt 25 26 27 28
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27401779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/First_page/pseuds/First_page
Summary: Tony takes Peter, Steve, and Bucky on a road trip to a scientific conference. When Bucky gets really sick from his concussion the group is forced to take a detour on their trip. Unfortunately due to a really bad storm, the detour puts Peter's life at risk.Whumptober prompts: 25,2 26, 27, 28I combined 4 prompts so it's a long one but it's the most hurt/comfort chapter of the whole series. I hope you enjoy!Trigger warning for vomiting and graphic drowning scene
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Whump & Webs [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979068
Comments: 16
Kudos: 174
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Down came the rain and washed the spider out... wait, what?!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I usually don't post two stories in one day. This is a first I think, but I don't think I'm going to get a chance to post tomorrow so I figured I'd put this one up today. This one is intense, so I hope you like it :) Again, trigger warning for vomiting and drowning.

Cap points to the enlarged bar graph on the screen. “And that is why we have to remain diligent when it comes to civilian safety. Thank you.”

He flips on the light switch and the conference room is filled with light, signaling the end of the presentation. The other Avengers mill around, talking amongst themselves, while Cap tries to reset the computer screen.

Commander Fury puts a hand on Cap’s back. “Good job, son. I can tell a lot of effort was put into that presentation. Too bad your lazy teammates won’t get off their lazy asses, and step up like you do.”

Cap, always the team player, smiles. “Everyone has their part to play. Mine just happens to involve more management duties.”

Commander Fury laughs. “Nope. There just lazy as fu –.”

Cap tunes the commander out before he has to be faced with the real possibility of asking Nick Fury, his commanding officer, to put money in the swear jar.

Cap’s not sure what other colorful language the commander added, but it must not have been important, because Commander Fury walks away.

Cap continues to struggle with closing PowerPoint, but Tony taps a finger on the keyboard and the program instantly closes.

Cap looks up at his computer hero. “Thanks.”

Tony smirks. “It doesn’t come without a price.”

Cap sighs. “Is the price illegal, immoral, and or life-threatening?”

Tony shakes his head. “Nope. I just need to use your sexy body to sell some of my technology.”

Cap frowns. “That sounds like all three Tony.”

Tony laughs. “Let me rephase. I have to give a conference in Connecticut and there are going to be some big time donors there. I know a few of the ladies would love to ogle an All-American Captain stud muffin. I’m sure some of the men would be into it too. Anyway, Bruce refuses to go to these things and I need a doctor/scientist to make the conference seem legitimate, so I need you to bring Bucky along. The Winter solider doesn’t exactly have a secret identity, but he’s not that recognizable. And with a pair of glasses and a lab coat, he could easily transform into a convincing Dr. Hottie.” 

Cap raises an eyebrow. “So you want me and Buck to go on a road trip with you?”

Tony shrugs. “The three of you can’t fly so wheels are a must. Well technically one of you can swing quickly so that’s kind of like flying.”

“Three?”

Tony taps on his phone screen. “Yeah, I think it might be a good opportunity to take Peter too. He’s seen how my lab works, but there’s another side to the company that he hasn’t seen yet. I know he would rather rip his own face off before he would give a speech to a room full of donors, but maybe if he sees me do it, he can warm up to the idea.”

Cap opens his mouth. He wants to tell Tony that a true fear of public speaking isn’t something you can just ‘get over’, but Tony is talking into his phone instead. “Hey Pete. I have good news. Cap agreed to go on a road trip, so we’re headed to Connecticut. Bring a parka Parker, it tends to snow there.”

Peter responds back. “Um, what?”

Tony sighs. “Road trip, Connecticut, jacket. Try to keep up. You sound strange, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’m just in the bathroom.”

“Wait, what? Who answers the phone when they’re in the bathroom?”

Peter doesn’t realize that Tony is asking a rhetorical question, and answers it. “The last time I ignored a call from you I almost got shot in the back of the head. Plus I’m coordinated enough to pee and talk on the phone at the same time.”

Tony sighs. “Ok, we’ll resume this conversation at a later time. I’m hanging up.”

Tony looks at Cap and raises an eyebrow. “Road trip?”

Cap can’t help but smile and give a slight nod. “Sure. Why not?”

The conference goes well.

Bucky lives up to the Dr. Hottie moniker and sticks to the script Tony gives him with all the medical jargon, so that he sounds competent. Captain America gives his credible seal of approval and provides a little eye-candy of his own. Peter flat out refuses to give anything close to a speech, but he does follow Tony around after the conference to talk one-on-one with some of the donors as well as some of the esteemed scientists that attended.

After the conference Tony takes advantage of the journey through deserted back roads and decides that Peter has earned himself a driving lesson.

Peter grips onto the wheel and puts his foot down on the gas. “This is awesome Mr. Stark, why haven’t you let me drive your car before?”

Tony takes a sip of coffee. “Because A. You’re fifteen, and B. There is no way in hell I’m teaching you to drive in New York City traffic. Even I think that’s too reckless.”

Peter leans his foot down harder on the gas. “Yeah, but can’t your million dollar car drive itself, anyway?”

Tony puts a hand on the dashboard to steady himself. “Easy on the gas Speedy. This is a luxury car, not the Batmobile. We don’t need to reach Mach 5 tonight. And yeah, there are a ton of cars that are self-driving, but what’s the fun in that.”

Peter eases off the gas. “Don’t you have a driver?”

Tony shrugs. “Happy is move of a bodyguard. Before his services were needed to occasionally pick you up from school, he didn’t really drive me around too much. He only really gave me rides when I was too intoxicated to responsibly operate a vehicle.”

Peter smiles. “I saw Cap’s PSA on drunk driving last week. They show that one at school all the time.”

Tony smiles. “It’s good to see that the school is committed to making you kids responsible human beings.”

Cap chimes in from the back seat. "I’m glad you liked it Pete. Remember, keep your hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel.”

Tony frowns. “No one likes a back seat driver.”

Cap lets Tony and Peter bond over driving and ducks out of the conversation. He settles on Bucky, who looks terrible.

Cap winces. “How’s your head?”

Bucky takes a slow breath. “My skull feels like it’s slowly collapsing in on itself.”

Cap raises an eyebrow. “So, better?”

Bucky’s lips ghost at the idea of a smile. “Very funny. Speed racer isn’t helping much either.”

Cap’s voice adopts a hint of concern. “You’re feeling carsick?”

Bucky ignores the embarrassing and inconvenient nausea that’s beginning and avoids answering. “I’m sick of this headache.”

Cap can tell that he embarrassed his friend by calling him out for being carsick and tries to do damage control. He figures a different term might get Bucky to admit to his illness. “So, motion sickness can sometimes aggravate migraines.”

Bucky smirks. “I thought I was the fake doctor, not you.”

Bucky moans as unpleasantness shivers through his body. He’s accepted the inevitable; it’s not _if_ he throws up, it’s _when_. He’s not about to share that information with his pal yet.

Cap keeps his voice low so that only he and Bucky can hear. “If you’re feeling real bad, you should take an aspirin. That will take the edge off the migraine.”

Bucky holds his head and gently massages. “It’s not a migraine.”

Cap frowns. “Look, you don’t have to be like this. I’m trying to help. The least you can do is admit that you’re not feeling good.”

Bucky moans. “Promise you won’t call me an idiot.”

Cap fights off a smile. “Maybe.”

Bucky closes his eyes. “So earlier today I got bored and before the Avenger meeting, I saw Thor, and long story short, we were kind of messing around.”

“Messing around?”

“I wanted to see if I had the reflexes to dodge a god, so I told him to take a few swings at me and not to hold back.”

Cap’s heart stops. “He hit you in the head with his hammer?!”

Bucky laughs, but instantly winces in pain. “What? No! I’d be dead. He was swinging at my head each time, but my metal arm is enough insurance to make sure I didn’t take a head shot. It was when he switched it up and I had to jump over his hammer like a jump rope… I avoided a few, but one time I was too slow, and I didn’t clear the hammer. I tried to spin to take the blunt of the fall on my shoulder, but I turned too much and smacked my head on the floor.”

Cap nods slowly. “You probably have a concussion. I’m not sure why the symptoms were so delayed, but I’ve had enough to know it’s going to get bad.”

Bucky leans back in the seat and closes his eyes. “How bad?”

“You’re not going to want to be in this car.”

It only takes a few minutes before Bucky hears those words repeating in his ears as he shudders through dry heaves on the side of the road.

Peter is sitting in the car, with his earbuds in and his music up to full blast so he doesn’t hear the painful sounds of Bucky expelling his entire stomach onto the side of the highway. Cap doesn’t have that luxury, he has to keep a watchful ear on his friend. But some of Bucky’s agony is muted by his conversation with Tony.

Tony sighs. “We can’t head back like this. We’re still in Connecticut so it’s going to be hours before we get back. I’d fly him, but I think taking the Ironman express is going to keep him on the regurgitation express.”

Bucky staggers over, looking like death warmed over. “I’m good. Let’s go.”

Bucky’s hair is saturated and sticking to his forehead, his eyes are black rimmed and hollow, and his skin is a mix between being too pale and being too green.

Tony shakes his head. “Dude, no.”

Bucky moans. “Dude, yes.” He goes to open the backseat door but has to let go of the handle as his stomach lets go of what it hasn’t already thrown up yet.

The spider in the passenger seat peeks his head out of the window. “Is Bucky going to be ok?”

Tony sighs. “All signs point to no on that one.”

Bucky shakes his head. “I’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes.”

A few minutes pass as Bucky continues roadside vomiting. Soon he starts to moan. He feels the acidic bile filling his chest and inching up his throat, but he wills himself to push it back down. He just has to get through this.

He clears his throat a few times, but his body isn’t cooperating. His body shivers and he swallows down everything that wants to come out.

Cap’s been coaching poor Bucky through the misery, but Tony eventually puts a stop to the suffering. “This isn’t going to work. Clearly you’re in no shape to survive a car ride back, so I made the executive decision to make hotel reservations. FRIDAY checked us into a B&B that’s just two minutes from here. You can rest up and then we’ll finish the second leg of the trip tomorrow.”

Bucky winces. “But – .”

Tony uses the Irondad voice. “But nothing Barnes. Get in the car. You’re getting a good night sleep at the potentially haunted B&B whether you like it or not.”

Bucky nods weakly and climbs into the car.

Peter looks at Tony skeptically from the passenger seat. “Is the place really haunted?”

Tony shrugs. “Probably. A B&B in the middle of nowhere that magically has a room available sounds a little too good to be true. If we were in a movie, it would absolutely be haunted.”

When they reach the Bed and Breakfast Peter and Tony walk up to the front desk and Tony sighs. “For the last time Peter, this place isn’t haunted. I was just joking before.”

Peter points to a cabinet in the corner. “Not haunted? Did you see that whole cabinet of creepy dolls over there?”

Tony shrugs. “Well yeah, that’s kind of haunted, but other than that, this place looks fine.”

Peter shakes his head. “A place can’t be kind of haunted. It either is or it isn’t. And this place is.”

A woman’s voice startles Peter. “Are you checking in or checking out?”

Peter whines as he whispers. “ _Mr. Stark._ Who says that?”

Tony ignores scaredy Pete and smiles at the lady behind the counter. “We’re checking in. There’s four of us so –.”

The woman smiles. “You’re in luck. We have one room. The building is being refurbished so you will be the only occupants in the whole place.”

Peter whispers both syllables separately. “Haun-ted.”

Tony elbows him. “That’s fine ma’am.”

He hands her his credit card. She swipes it and smiles. “I have some things to tend to and you two look trustworthy. I’m leaving now and I won’t be back until tomorrow night. Tomorrow night will be well after you have checked out, so just lock up before you leave and tuck the key under the mat.”

Tony clears his throat. “What about the continental breakfast?”

The woman points to a small kitchen table with a bowl of fruit and a few boxes of cereal. “Just plug in the coffee maker and you’re good to go.”

She puts her purse over her shoulder and leaves, passing Steve and Bucky on her way out. Bucky is leaning on Cap’s shoulder, keeping him upright.

Tony looks down at the room key on the counter. “I guess we’re in charge of the B&B now.”

The four make their way upstairs to the only room in the lodging house. Tony unlocks the door, and it swings open slowly with a loud creak.

The room has two beds, an attached bathroom, and not much else.

Cap slowly lowers Bucky onto the bed and Bucky grunts.

Cap takes Bucky’s boots off and sighs. “How are you feeling, Buck?”

Bucky puts a hand over his forehead and moans. “Just need two good consecutive hours of sleep and I’ll be good. I think I’ll just collapse right here, thanks.” With that, he passes out.

Tony kicks his own shoes off and sits on the edge of the other bed. “I’m not going to lie. I’m low-key jealous of the superpowers that you three have. You can sleep off a concussion in a little over an hour, meanwhile, if I drink a little too much brandy, I’m out for at least a day and a half.”

Bucky is sprawled out on the bed fast asleep, so he doesn’t offer a response (except for loud snoring).

Cap sits on the floor and leans against the wall. “I guess I’ll be sleeping down here tonight.”

Tony smiles. “Come hop in with me and Spider-boy. If we cuddle really close, we can all fit.”

Cap laughs. “I’ll pass on that one.”

By the time Peter changes into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, Bucky is well into dreamland, Cap is slumped against the wall, fast asleep, and Tony is sitting on the bed reading something on his phone.

The room is dark except for the light reflecting from the glowing screen.

Peter walks over to the bed and takes a pillow from his side and the duvet. He walks over to Cap and gently puts the pillow behind Cap’s head and the duvet around him. Cap doesn’t wake up, but his hands find the duvet and the soldier draws the blanket around him, wrapping himself further under the warmth.

Peter walks back to the bed and Tony’s giving him the proud dad look. Peter hops into the bed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Tony smirks. “No reason. Get some sleep.” He taps his chest. “And if you’re scared, I have a built in nightlight.” The dim glow of the arc reactor offers a slight beacon of light after Tony had turned off his phone.

Peter blushes. “I’m afraid of a lot of things Mr. Stark, but I’m not a little kid. I’m not afraid of the dark.”

“Never said you were. I’m just showing you my built in ghost repellant. You know, for haunted hotels like this one. This light will save your life”

Peter can’t help but smile. “Thanks Mr. Stark.”

Tony closes his eyes. “Nite, Underoos.”

The peaceful night lasts a few hours, but Peter’s awakened abruptly. His spider senses are going off the charts and he feels like his whole body is on fire. He sits up straight, but his friends are still fast asleep.

Peter takes a deep breath to calm his senses down, but when he takes the inhale, he smells an overwhelming earthy smell. Almost like he was hit in the face with a mound of dirt. He tries to shake off the weird smell, but his ears begin to fill with the sound of a train.

Peter yells. “Oh my god! Wake up! _Wake up_!”

Tony jolts awake from a dead sleep and hits his head on the headboard. “What the hell? If you woke me up because a tree is knocking against the window, an angry ghost will be the last of your problems.”

Peter shakes his head. “You don’t understand. I learned this in Earth Science class last week. If you smell dirt and hear a train, that means you’re about to get hit by a tornado.”

Bucky opens the curtains and the wind and rain slams against the window. “Yup. I think a storm is headed this way.”

Peter puts his hands over his ears. “It’s too loud. It feels like my eardrums are going to explode.”

Cap walks over wincing. “I hear it too. It’s not a good day to have enhancing hearing.”

Just as quickly as the intense pain had started it stops and Peter sighs in relief.

Bucky yawns. “You’re supposed to hide out in a bathtub during a tornado?”

Tony peeks out from the doorframe of the bathroom. “One step ahead of you Barnes, but we have bigger problems. There’s water all around the pipes. That means the basement is flooded. If this creepy antique house has the electrical wiring that I expect it does, it’s going up in an instant. I’ve got to get to the basement.”

Tony runs out of the room and down the stairs. Peter follows, taking two stairs at a time, as he descends into the basement. Peter reaches the bottom half of the stairway, but shivers when he’s met with chest deep water.

Tony points at a control panel. “Swim over here and keep an eye on this. I’m going to reset it from outside. If this red button lights up, turn the key right here and it will shut off. If the green light stays on you’re good. Don’t do anything. I’ll be back when I’m done fixing the mainframe outside.”

Peter squints at the panel. “Why do I have to shut it off if it’s red.”

Tony is wading back to the stairs. “You’ll get electrocuted.”

Peter nods. “That’s a good reason to turn it off.”

Tony laughs. “Yeah. It is. Ok, so you stay here and monitor that and I’ll take the supersoliders with me in case it goes all Wizard of Oz outside. I can’t believe we’re in the middle of a tornado. I hate Connecticut. This would never happen in New York.”

Peter laughs. “You can’t blame a whole state for a storm. Plus, there have been tons of tornados in New York City. In fact, there was one –.”

Tony frowns. “I liked you better before you took Earth science.”

Peter laughs even more as Tony leaves.

Peter swims over to the panel. The water is mid-chest level so he can walk through it for now. He watches the green light and has a hand hovering over the disengage key just in case. 

The wind continues to howl, and suddenly the small basement window shatters. Peter shields his face from the glass, but a pile of projectile debris sails thought the open window.

The force from the projectiles and the tornado wind both slam against a giant metal cabinet and the metal structure falls onto Peter’s leg.

Peter yells as the heavy metal structure pins his leg. He’s immediately dragged underwater. He’s quick enough to shimmy out a bit before the full weigh settles. This causes a huge gash to open up from under his right knee to the start of his ankle. He’s still trapped from the ankle down, under the weight of the giant metal box.

He swims up to the surface, but because his foot is trapped, he can barley get his head above water. He has to stretch his whole body to keep afloat and the pain that it causes his open wound is excruciating.

He takes a deep breath and ducks underwater just to ease the pain. He stays as long as he can, but his lungs are burning, so he resurfaces again and grits his teeth against the pain.

He glances at the control panel and it’s still green and he sighs to himself. _Well ok. At least I’m not going to get electrocuted._

His leg is underwater, but it burns as he feels the wound stretching open. His healing factor would have healed it, but he can’t stay unwater long enough for it to stay healed.

The pain has Peter going through a cycle of ducking underwater and retuning back to the surface, switching out the burning sting of the open wound, to the burning strain of his overtaxed lungs. Every time he goes underwater, it’s long enough for the wound to heal, but eventually he has to come back up to breathe and the wound tears open again.

The cloud of red water around him signals that he’s lost too much blood. He starts to feel dizzy from the blood loss and he mumbles. “Can’t pass out… gonna drown…”

His eyes flutter shut, and his body is dragged underwater. He’s swallowed into unconsciousness, but when his body automatically takes an inhale, he’s shocked awake. He’s disoriented and he takes another underwater breath. The pain shoots through his lungs, as if he’s breathing in glass, and he sputters as he claws his way to the surface.

The pain from his leg isn’t anything compared to his lungs and he thrashes around to keep himself above water.

This time he’s unsuccessful and he realizes that the water level has gone up. The water had been constantly pouring through the open window this whole time and it’s over his head at this point.

His heart starts to pound. He didn’t prepare himself for this possibility, so he didn’t prep his lungs with a deep breath before going under.

He coughs a few times causing bubbles to form around his face. His chest feels heaver than the weight on his foot and he closes his eyes.

He had heard somewhere that drowning was one of the most painful ways to die.

Just when he gets to the point of going limp, he sees the green glow of Tony’s reactor. He focuses on the glow to try to stay conscious. His rescue team is here. He just has to stay awake.

He feels a pair of strong hands wrapping around his leg. He feels a blinding pain as the hands squeeze his leg.

He hears Tony’s voice, muffled by the water. “Cap, lift it now. I’ve got his leg stabilized. Do it _now_!”

The weight lifts in an instant and Tony’s hands move from Peter’s leg to under his arms. He guides the poor boy to the surface, but that’s all Peter hears before he passes out.

Tony passes Peter to Cap and the supersoldier swims Peter to the staircase. Cap hoists Peter on his shoulder and races outside with him.

The tornado wind and rain are still swirling, but the actual tornado cone has passed.

Cap lays Peter on his back and kneels over him. He wills his hands to stop shaking and starts chest compressions. “C’mon Peter. Breathe. C’mon. _Breathe!”_

Peter continues to lay lifelessly on the grass.

Cap continues his chest compressions in sets of five. Cap’s tears are mixing with the rain. “Please… Peter… _please.”_

Peter’s body shudders and he spits up water.

Cap turns Peter’s head to the side so he doesn’t choke and he keeps the chest compressions going. “That’s it Pete. It’s going to be alright.”

Cap’s repeated ‘It’s going to be alright’ is for Peter’s benefit as much as it is for his.

Peter continues to cough up water until he starts to wheeze with unsteady breaths.

Cap sits back from his kneeling position to sitting cross-legged on the grass. He runs his hand through his wet blond hair and catches his breath along with Peter.

He hadn’t even noticed that Tony was on the other side of Peter until the man speaks. “I thought we were going to lose you, kid.”

Peter nods and tries to sit up. “I thought I was gonna lose me too. I –.” He’s cut off by the familiar pain of his leg wound opening again.

Peter flashes back to the drowning and he’s gasping for air again.

Tony puts his hands on Peter's shoulders. “Close your eyes. If I put this on with your eyes open, it’s going to freak you out even more.”

Peter wheezes as he closes his eyes. In the darkness he feels a metal helmet go over his head. FRIDAY’s voice comes through Peter’s left ear. “Just stay calm little Boss. I’m pumpin’ the oxygen in as we speak.”

Peter feels a tiny tube being inserted into his nose from inside the mask and the oxygen flows freely through his nostrils and into his lungs.

He takes a few breaths and when he feels normal again, he opens his eyes. He’s used to Tony looking at him through the Ironman mask, but it feels weird looking at his mentor from the other side of the mask.

Peter wants to say something poignant, but he’s Peter after all. “It’s raining. Why can I still see out of the mask?”

Tony smiles. “Hydrophilic vision patented technology. The same thing that’s on your mask’s eye parts.”

Peter nods. “Cool.”

Tony’s face lights up with more happiness than Peter has ever seen. “Yeah. Cool.”

Bucky crouches down into Peter’s field of vision. “The haunted B&B is a fire hazard or an electrical hazard or a whatever hazard, so we’re going to camp out for the rest of the night in the car.”

Cap chimes in. “Tony and I have enough first aid skills to fix up your leg, and we can take you to see Dr. Banner tomorrow. I’m not a doctor, but reopening a cut too many times might have caused tissue damage. I know that information from personal experience, but Dr. Banner can give you a better answer when he looks at it. In the meantime, Tony and I can clean out the cut and wrap it up.”

Peter tries to wiggle his toes and fails. He winces. “I think the metal cabinet thing broke my foot.”

Tony scoops Peter up, and they head to the car.

Peter is close enough to Tony’s ear to whisper. “You’re right Mr. Stark. Your arc reactor. The light. It saved my life.”

Tony’s grip tenses along with his jaw. “I’ll always be here to save you from the boogeyman. But I’m here to save you from those pesky non-supernatural threats too.”

Peter closes his eyes. “Thanks Mr. Stark.”

Tony smiles. “For once, can you be a little less formal.”

Peter whispers. “Ok. Just this once. Thanks Dad.”

Tony’s arc reactor glows a little brighter.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so the next chapter is the last one of the series and it's a long one too. I don't think I'll be able to post it tomorrow, so I'll post it first thing Saturday. Thank you so much for the continued support and as always feel free to shout at me in the comments :D Thanks so much everyone.


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